a Christmas Story
by Xellina1
Summary: GIR thinks that Zim may not want him around, so he does what he thinks is best...please R


  
(Note from the author: this is my first fanfic ever. I'll warn you ahead of time that I'm a TERRIBLE speller ^^;; Also, if you don't like the story, feel free to tell me, but please tell me why so I can improve my writing. Thanks, please R&R)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Zim opened the door to his house and went inside after a long day at skool. He took of his heavy winter jacket and boots and tossed them aside. If it wasn't for the need to study humans and their habits, and keep and eye on that pesky human Dib, he would disregard skool altogether. But, such was the hard life of an invader...  
Zim flopped down on the couch and threw off the wig he used to cover up his antennea while he was in contact with humans. He hated that thing, but not as much as he hated the contact lenses he had to wear to disguise his shiny, bug-like, magenta eyes. He delecatley removed them from his eyes and placed them carefully on the couch next to him. He rubbed his eyes and took a look around. What he saw did not please him.  
The first thing he noticed was the toilet paper strewn about the television set, then along the floor, leading to the kitchen. His first instinct was to be afraid, who had done this? Had someone gotten into his house? Was it, could it be...Dib? But all these feelings past in a few moments and he quickly figured out who the real culprit was. He sighed and got up from the couch, found the end of the toilet paper, and began to roll it up again, removing it all from the television set and following it's trail into the kitchen, where he found that it had been wrapped about most of the chair legs, and around the handles of the cupboards. After completing the slow task of unravleing the toilet paper from the furniture and cupboards, Zim came to the end of the roll.   
Just as he suspected, there was GIR, curled up on the kitchen floor, on top of the last bit of toilet paper, fast asleep.  
Zim's first thought was to yell at GIR at the top of his lungs, and he took in a deep breath but stopped himself. He was much too tired now, and needed to sleep, it had been such a long day...Plus, GIR probobly wouldn't remember anything of the incident in five minutes, considering his lack of any brains whatsoever.  
Zim gently tugged the remaining toilet paper from under GIR, so as not to wake the hyperactive robot, lazily set it on the counter, and headed upstairs to bed.  
Zim's room was the image of a perfect little boy's room, probobly because all the information he had obtained about the living quarters of human children was from television and the movies. In the center of the room was a one person bed with a blue comforter and white pillows. Next to it was a nightstand with a reading lamp. On the left side of the room was a two door closet, and on the right was a dresser topped with a mirror. On the walls he had posters of various sports stars and a woman in a bikini, all of which he had observed in the rooms of the boys in TV land.  
He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of Pajamas, colored majenta like his shirt, with little pictures of earth all over them.  
He looked at the digital clock on top of his dresser, and although it was only 3:47, he put on his PJ's and crawled into bed.  
He sighed and layed his head down on the pillow, falling asleep quickly.  
  
  
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The next time Zim opened his eyes the clock read 1:13. He groaned and rolled over, realising it was stupid of him to go to bed so early. After about half an hour of trying to fall back to sleep, Zim tossed of his blankets, and hopped out of bed making a small sound of annoyance.  
He walked out into the hallway without switching on the light. He knew his way around well enough.   
He bagan to walk down the stairs, but found himself tripping over something that wasn't usually there. With a yelp he clung to the banister, but lost his grip and went tumbling down the stairs.  
After hitting his ribs painfully against the stairs a few times, he landed roughly on his back on the floor. Zim reached down and toched his ribs tenderly, wincing and drawing back his hands. They were bruised, or maybe broken.  
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"  
A hight pitched squeel sounded from up the stairs, and suddenly a small robotic figure came flying down the stairs, riding on what appeared to be the rug that belonged in the kitchen. He came to the bottom of the stairs and landed directly on his master's stomach.  
"Tobogganing is fun, but you should remember to stay on the rug all the way down, master!"  
After getting over the pain of GIR landing roughly on his already bruised body, Zim's eyes narrowed. Wincing with the action, he roughly pushed GIR and his "toboggan" off of him and stood up. He glared down at the smiling robot, who was un-aware of his master's anger, thinking that he was simply enjoying the game along with him. After standing like this for a few moments, Zim began to vent his anger on his "advanced" robot servant.  
"Every day, GIR, you manage to do something STUPID, and I always have to clean up after you, or end up getting hurt! You're USELESS! I've HAD it with you, I just can't TAKE it anymore! I wish I had a REAL SIR, not a brainless peice of junk like you!"  
GIR looked up at him with wide eyes and his mouth hanging slightly agape. Zim massaged his temples, thinking the robot didn't understand a word that he was saying.  
"Look, you...arg..."  
Thinking of a temporary solution to the GIR problem, Zim picked up GIR roughly and brought him into the living room, where he retreived the puppy suit from its position on the couch and put it on GIR. In his pain and anger, he didn't even bother to put on his human disguise as he went outside and tied GIR to the tree in the front yard. Luckily, nobody saw him. He walked back into the house, grumbling about how his ribs may be broken, leaving GIR sitting dumbstruck on the front lawn.  
  
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After about 20 minutes, GIR was still sitting outside, staring at the ground. Thoughts of what his master had yelled at him earlier were running through his head, and for the first time in his existance, he was beggining to think that maybe his master didn't want him around as much as he wanted.  
"Every day, GIR, you manage to do something STUPID...You're USELESS...I've HAD it with you...brainless peice of junk..."  
GIR then did what he thought was best for his master. He bagan to see that he was hurting more then he was helping. Taking the leash in his mouth, he easily broke it with his metallic teeth, and left through the front gate.  
  
  
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Chapter 2   
  
  
  
  
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The next morning, Zim awoke to find himself on the couch with the TV on, playing some informercials for free psychic readings. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and thought back to last night. He hadn't been tired, so he sat down on the couch and started to watch TV, but he must have fallen asleep.  
He turned down the volume on the TV and shivered. It had gotten alot colder through the night. He went to turn up the heat and took a look out the window. About two feet of snow had fallen last night. Zim didn't think much of it, until he remembered that he had left GIR tied to the tree last night.   
He felt worried for his robot servant, he wasn't sure how much of the cold he was designed to take, and how wet he could get without malfunctioning. He quickly donned his snowsuit and boots, putting on his contacts and covering his antennae with the hood. He flung open the door to find there was no hope of him getting to GIR without a shovel.  
"GIR! GIR, can you hear me?" He called out. No reply. Zim whimpered in distress and ran inside to get a shovel.  
  
  
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The city streets were being plowed, the snowfall had hit the city just as hard as it had around Zim's house. Because it was so early in the morning, the only people out where those operating the snow plows, and some early risers out to open up their shops. Everything was white, the snow untouched in almost all areas.  
In an alleyway, a large snowdrift began to shake, and then a small yellow head with large eyes and tiny black ears popped out of it.  
GIR tried to crawl from the snowdrift, but fell forward and rolled down its side, landing in the allyway on his back. He got up stiffly, his metallic joints cold and slightly rusted from the moisture and below zero temperatures. He didn't feel the cold as on organic being would, but it did cause him discomfort. He got up and hugged himself with his tiny arms, then turned to leave the ally.  
A scent carried by a chilly breeze caused him to stop. He smelled food, and couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. He turned silently and began to make his way down the alleyway, following the smell, leaving tiny dotted footprints in the snow.  
He walked for a little while down the alleyway until he found the source of the smell. An old man, wearing a tattered beige jacket, black sweatpants, and a winter hat, was rummaging through a garbage bin behind a resteraunt, pulling out boxes of leftover food and setting them on the ground. GIR eyed the boxes, filled with things like chicken bones and leftover chinese food, squealed and ran towards them. He picked up a half eaten drumstick and began to munch on it.  
The old man took out the last box and set it on the ground, then turned his bearded face towards GIR.  
"Well, hello there, little fellow, what are you doing out in the cold, and so close to Christmas, too?"  
GIR knew he couldn't speak to the man, lest he reveal that he was really a robot (he has SOME sense, okay?), so he just made a high pitched yipping noise.  
The old man didn't seem to figure out the obvious disguise GIR was wearing, and took him for a lost puppy.  
"Well, you look hungry, I'm sure I can share some of this food with somone else who doesn't have a home. It is the season for giving, after all."  
The man shuffled over to GIR, and picked him up along with the boxes. GIR didn't fear the man, he knew he was a friend, and continued to eat the food.  
"Hey there, leave some for me," the man laughed. He carried GIR and the boxes of food to a dark corner of the ally where not much snow had fallen, set GIR down, and sat next to him. He too, began to eat the food.  
"M'name's Carl," he told GIR, between mouthfulls, not seeming to care that GIR was just a dog. "This is where I've been living, not much of a home, but it protects against most of the wind and snow. I used to have a blanket, but it blew away in that dang snowstorm we had last night."  
GIR took a few minutes to look up at Carl, then went back to eating. Carl did the same.  
  
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A short boy wearing a black trenchcoat, black boots, large glasses, and a winter hat, walked through the now busy city streets. He held his hat on his head with his hand, because if he didn't the strong winter wind would blow it away.  
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a peice of paper.  
"Hmm, only one more gift to get, a game for Gaz..."  
He stuffed the piece of paper back into his pocket and pulled his coat close.  
Christmas had never been a very special time of year for Dib. Considering he didn't have any friends, and his family members, his father, Professor Membrane, and his younger sister, Gaz, weren't the most caring people in the world. He never seemed to get the gifts he wanted, and they never did anything with family.  
Gaz never got much into the Christmas spirit, it was just like any other time of year to her, except that she would get one or two new games for her Game Slave.  
Professor Membrane was always busy with a new invention of some sort, and only took the time to go out and get a simple gift for both Gaz and Dib. He never made any special plans, and they never had any sort of family get together, or even had a Christmas tree.  
Not since Lin had died, anyway. Lin was Dib and Gaz's mother, she had died not long after Gaz was born. Gaz and Dib were never told in detail why, Professor Membrane just told them that she had gotten sick, and refused to talk of the subject any longer.  
Dib vaguely remembered his mother. She was short, only about half the height of Membrane, with long purple hair and golden eyes. She shared the same passion about lab work and new inventions as her husband did. Other then that, Dib really didn't remember all that much about her.  
Of course Gaz remembered nothing about her mother, as Lin had died not three months after she was born.  
Dib came to Microplay, Gaz's usual place to buy video games, and entered into the crowded electronics store. He made his may through the parents, some of them holding the hands of younger children, one of them whining "Dad, is this the last store we have to go to?"  
He made his way to the game section and scanned the shelves. Most of them Gaz already had...Aha! Pokemon Silver was one Gaz had mentioned, that she didn't have. Dib picked up the case and flipped it over in his hands to check the price on the back... $27.99...He dug into his pockets and pulled out his black wallet, sifting through the bills in it, counting that he had just enough money to buy this last gift.  
He waited for several minutes in the long line up of people, all of them probobly buying gifts. When he reached the front of the line, he found, as usual, that his head didn't come above the counter, so he simply, on routine, stood on his tip-toes and placed the wanted item and the money on the counter. He had given exact change so he waited until the parcel was handed down to him in a small plastic bag.  
"Have a merry Christmas!" called the man at the counter. Dib waved without looking back and exited the store, going back into the cold outside.  
  
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In Zim's front yard, Zim had finally managed to shovel a path to the tree, and had just shovled all the snow from around the base of the tree. He leaned against the shovel panting, and looking about at his work. He spotted the leash with which he had tied GIR up and tugged on the end, bringing it to him.  
He inspected it and saw the neat bite mark that had severed the leash from GIR's collar, then he looked up at the newly plowed streets in front of his house and shivered.  
He was afraid for GIR, and he was afraid that GIR might reveal that he was a robot, and maybe even tell someone about Zim's true identity. Without a second glance, he dropped both shovel and leash and dashed down the road, looking everywhere for GIR, but spotting nothing, not even footprints in the snow, because of the heavy snowfall last night.  
He pulled his jacket close and continued to search.  
  
  
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The sun was beggining to set on Christmas Eve over the city, and in the alleyway where GIR and the old man were staying, all was quiet. Both of them had fallen asleep on the ground.  
Suddenly, two cats chasing each other knocked over a garbage can, startling GIR awake. He sat up quickly and looked around, then became calm when he saw the source of the sound as the two street cats continued to scamper down the street. GIR tried to stand, but was having alot of trouble. His joints had become frozen and rusted throughout the day. He slowly rose, and streached out his back, then turned to Carl, who hadn't been awakened by the clatter of the garbage being knocked over.  
GIR walked over to Carl and snuggled up against him for warmth, but he found that the man was rather cold himself. Concerned, he shook him gently, but Carl remained still. GIR shook him a little more roughly, but it soon dawned on him.  
The sub zero tempuratures had taken their toll on Carl, and he would never again wake up.  
GIR stared down at the frozen form of the homeless man for a long time, shedding tears of sadness for his lost friend. A tattered blanket, carried by the wind, hit GIR in the face. He took if off, and covered up Carl with it, then left the alley, walking slowly, the cold and his greif making it all the harder for him to walk.  
  
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Zim walked quickly through the city streets, looking in every place he could think of for his lost robot. But everywhere he looked, there was no sign. He could be anywhere, and the city was so large, he couldn't possibly scan the entire place in one day. He looked up at the darkening sky, and sighed, vapor coming from his mouth because of the cold air.  
There was no way he could find GIR tonght, not in the dark.  
As Zim walked back to his home, he found himself thinking about all the things that could have happened to GIR. He almost hated to admit it to himself, but he really was worried about GIR. He wished that he was safe at home, and that he had never yelled at him that day...  
Zim was momentarily startled out of his thoughts when the Christmas lights on the trees lining the road were switched on, bathing the white streets in color.  
Zim had learned a bit about Christmas from the humans, but didn't care much about it. He considered it silly, and a waste of time.  
His thoughts went back to GIR, and he shivered in the cold, and at the thought of GIR being out here all night.  
He turned around and took one last look at the streets behind him, his worried eyes scanning every area. But, seeing nothing, he turned and headed home.  
  
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In the Membrane residence, Dib was sitting on the couch with the big screen television off, eating a TV dinner he had just heated up. He looked around the dark living room, the only light coming from the lamp shaped in the likeness of Professor Membrane behind the couch.   
Gaz entered the room, as usual, playing her Game Slave. She sat next to Dib without looking up, and continued to play. Dib looked at her for a moment until something caugh his eye.   
The game she was playing. Was that? It was. Pokemon Silver, the game he had bought her for Christmas earlier that day.  
Dib quickly scoffed down the rest of his meal and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He reached under his bed and pulled out a box. Opening it, he pulled out the smaller box containing the copy of Pokemon Silver he had bought and put it in his jacket pocket, along with the reciept. He ran back down the stairs, buttoned up his jacket, and called to his sister:  
"I'm going out for a bit! I'll be back soon!"  
"Mmm hmm" Gaz replied, not looking up from her game.  
Dib left the house and looked up at the starry night sky. He shivered and hugged himself. It sure was cold. He put his gloveless hands in his pockets and headed toward the city to get Gaz a new present.  
  
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GIR walked with great difficulty down the city streets, looking into a few of the windows and gazing at the lights that illuminated the snow along the street. On any other occasion, he would have been running about happily, yelling about the pretty lights, but he was out of energy. Because of his frozen and rusted joints, and the sadness he felt over the loss of his newfound friend, it was now almost impossible for him to walk. And of course, his soul reason for being, the reason he was created, didn't need him anymore. He felt unwanted and un needed.   
Stumbling over nothing in his exhaustedness, he fell to the sidewalk. Not able to walk any more, he let himself fall asleep, the only figure that could be seen still out this late on Christmas Eve.  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
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Dib was shocked and worried. He had gone back to Microplay to return the game and purchase a new one for Gaz, but found that the shelves were stripped of every last Game Slave game that was in stock. They had all been bought. He returned the game and got his money back, asking just to make sure if maybe they didn't have one game left in the back somewhere. The man at the counter shook his head, saying this usually happened around this time of year, and they wouldn't get anything new in until after Christmas.  
Dib sighed and walked out of the store, the man at the counter following him to change the Open sign over to Closed.  
Dib leaned against the outside wall of the store and sighed once more. What to do? What would Gaz do if she didn't get anything from him for Christmas? He wasn't sure if any love would be lost between the two, but it wasn't uncommon for Gaz to carry out her threats of punching him in the face when he made her angry.   
He began to walk down the streets, looking for a store that was still opened. After passing closed store after closed store, he almost gave up hope, until he found one that was open.  
If was one of those quaint little gift shops with things like ornaments, address books, bookmarks, and other such things like that. Dib doubted that he would find anything Gaz would like in the store, but since his options were severley limited, he pushed open the door.  
A small bell tinkled overhead as he entered, and he could hear Christmas music playing faintly in the background. The store was beautfully decorated with holley berries and garlands, and in the center of the store was an ornamental winter scene, with small people skating on a pond, a chior singing Christmas carrols, and a happy couple being pulled through the snow on a horse driven sleigh.  
"Can I help you?" Came a voice from somewhere in the shop.   
Dib turned around until he saw the source of the voice. A middle aged woman with brown hair.  
"Um, yeah," Dib replied "I'm looking for something for my...sister..."  
"Oh, I know just the thing!" the woman replied.   
The led Dib to the back of the store where there were a number of standing ceramic plaques, with poems and other things on them, outlined with ornamental flowers, or snowflakes. The woman picked up a medium sized one lined with flowers and handed it to Dib. He read the messege inscribed on the front.  
  
"If ever you feel lonely,  
Or like no one cares,  
And everyone around you,  
Has nought but hateful stares,  
Remember, dear sister,  
I'll always be there,  
No matter what happens,  
I will always care."  
  
Dib read it over once more, and thought about it. He didn't have much of a choice.  
"I'll take it," he said.  
The woman mearly smiled and took it from him, then headed back to the front counter. Dib followed close behind. Upon seeing that Dib wasn't tall enough to see over the top of the counter, the woman came around to the front of it and told him how much it would be.  
"14.79, and if you like, I can gift-wrap it for only an extra dollar."  
"Sure," Dib replied, pulling out the money from his pocket and counting out the required amount.  
The woman went behind the counter and began to rummage around on one of the shelves.  
"What color would you like?"  
"Um...purple's good."  
'Purple...purple...purple...Ah! Here we go, there is just enough left to wrap this present."  
She set the plaque and wrapping paper on top of the counter and swiftly and expertly wrapped the gift. She leaned over and looked down at Dib.  
"And what color bow would you like?"  
"Uh...purple?"  
The woman just smiled, went behind the counter, and retrived a purple tassled bow, along with a Christmas name tag. She stuck both of them neatly on top of the wrapped packege, and handed Dib a pen. Dib looked down at the name tag and filled in the names Dib and Gaz under the "To" and "From", and handed the pen back to the woman.  
"That'll be 15.97" she stated.  
Dib handed her the exact amount of money that he had already counted out of his pockets, smiled shyly at the lady, and turned to leave.  
"Have a merry Christmas!" She called after him, but he had already left the shop in his hurry, the bell atop the door ringing behind him.  
Once Dib got outside, he began to run down the sidewalks to his home, when he tripped suddenly over something. He fell sprawling on his face, got up slowly, and inspected himself for damage. Luckily, all he had was a bruised elbow, and the pakage wasn't damaged.  
He looked back to see what he had tripped over and gasped in fright.  
It was Zim's robot!   
But his fear soon faded when he saw the state that GIR was in. He thought back to past encounters with Zim and couldn't remember the small robotic creature ever being a threat. He approached the limp form lying on the sidewalk with it's eyes shut, being careful not to make a sound.  
"Hello? Are...you okay?" he asked quietly. No reply. Dib looked around, and didn't see anyone.  
What if it was a trap? What if Zim was lying in hiding ready to ambush him if he tried to approach GIR further? He looked down at GIR and then turned around to continue to go back home, figuring he was better safe than sorry.  
  
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Zim sat on the couch, still in his human disguise, because he had just arrived home. The TV wasn't on, and the house was dimly lit only by the stars outside and the Christmas lights on in the house across the street. He sighed and looked about the house. It was quiet, and as much as he hated it, he missed GIR. He half hoped that the small robot would return, giggling and happy at his door, perhaps carrying a Chocolate Bubblegum Slurpy, or something else he had picked up on his excersion. But the harsh reality was GIR wasn't designed to take the tempuratures present tonight. Zim put his head in his hands and tried to stop himself from crying. He wanted to cry for several reasons. One, he was afraid that GIR may somehome give out his true identily, two, he was afraid for GIR himself, and three, he was angry with himself at being so concerned over a mere SIR. He thought it was a sign of weakness, but that feeling was greatly overweighed by his worries for GIR's safety.  
Just then, there was a knock at the door. He jumped off the couch and quickly ran to the door, hoping and praying that it was GIR returning.  
When he opened the door he stepped back and his eyes narrowed.  
"Dib, what is it that YOU want? Shouldn't human worm babies be HOME at this hour of the night?"  
Then Zim noticed the small bundle the Dib had in his arms.   
Could it be? Yes, that high pitched giggle was unmistakable! It was GIR, and he was okay!   
GIR, still in his puppy suit, yipped and squirmed in Dib's arms. Dib had decided at the last minute to go back for the fallen robot. He just couldn't bring himself to leave anyone or anything out on the streets in the cold to die.   
Dib handed the squealing GIR to Zim, who took him in his arms and hugged him close. Zim then looked back up at Dib, with a confused look on his face.  
"Merry Christmas, Zim." Dib said, then turned and left.  
  
  
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Dib woke the next morning to someone shaking him. He looked up to find Gaz there next to his bed, holding the present that he had gotten her late last night.   
Oh no, thought Dib, here it comes...  
But Gaz merely smiled one of her very rare smiles, wiped what looked like a tear from her eye, reached up, and hugged her brother.  
"Thanks Dib, it means alot to me that you care."  
  
  
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End file.
